Q: What's the website for obtaining the free credit report you are allowed to get once per year?
A: Present credit reporting regulations allow you to obtain a free look at your credit report once per year which can be obtained through AnnualCreditReport.com, the website operated by the credit bureaus TransUnion, Experian and Equifax (a consortium known as "Central Source, LLC", per the website).
If you're not comfortable providing the needed information online, you can also request the report by phone at 877-322-8228.
If you prefer to do this by mail, you'll need to fill out the official credit report request form and mail it to:
Annual Credit Report Request Service
P.O. Box 105281
Atlanta, GA 30348-5281
Your credit report will be mailed to you within 15 days.
This is a consolidated report. If you should review the report and find items which need to be clarified or errors which need to be corrected, you will need to contact the individual credit reporting bureau to clear up that specific file. All creditors do not necessarily report to all three bureaus, and you can find entries from a creditor on one or all of the files.
Although the information in the files can be the basis of your credit score, the credit file disclosure does not contain your credit score.
Those scores are developed by other sources, and there are many varieties. The most prominent among them is Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO). If you should want to see your credit score, you'll need to visit MyFico.com; there is a charge for their service.
Getting your credit reports cleaned up before applying for your mortgage can raise your credit score and bring the lowest possible mortgage rates. Read "Eight ways to increase your credit score" to learn how to put your best credit foot forward.
Related: HSH's Credit Grade Calculator
